


A Run Between Hearts

by Canadian_BuckBeaver



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Swapfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Background Poly, Bad Jokes, Bad Puns, Bad references, Canon-Typical Violence, Choking, Crossover, Dimension Travel, Doctor Julian, Doctor/Patient, Established Relationship, F/M, Fighting, Healing, I'm Bad At Tagging, Inspired By Undertale, Mild Kink, Minor Violence, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Polyamorous Pack, Polyamory, Pop Culture, Sister-Sister Relationship, Swapfell Papyrus (Undertale), Teleportation, Underfell Grillby (Undertale), Underfell Sans (Undertale), Underswap Papyrus (Undertale), Undertale Saves and Resets, Vesuvia (The Arcana), alternate copies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 03:10:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21403222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Canadian_BuckBeaver/pseuds/Canadian_BuckBeaver
Summary: Things, although not perfect between the lands of Underswap and Underfell, has finally returned to its turbulent normal with Bucky's and Nikki's Determination acting as anchoring the world back in it's normal passage of time.  No resets, for the time being.  Peace returns to the monsters.However, this time round, Nikki wakes up suddenly in a room and house that isn't her own, her mates no where to be seen. As she begins to wake fully, she discovers that more and more of what she discovers is not as she remembers. Bucky, her sister from another mother, is changed and Stretch has changed into an enthusiastic man named Julian.  Immediately thinking the worst, Nikki attacks them and runs away, finding herself lost in this strange world.However, who better to help herself in this scenario than herself?** * * * * * **Just slipping this story for @nikki-on-edge or @note-reblogs birthday.HAPPY DAY OF AGING GIRL!  YOU’RE THE BEST!Based off several RPs with her, both Undertale and the Arcana, featuring our OCs, Nikki and Bucky in their human forms.
Relationships: Grillby/Original Undertale Character(s), Julian Devorak/Original Female Character(s), Muriel (The Arcana)/Original Female Character(s), Papyrus/Grillby/Sans/Original Character, Papyrus/Original Undertale Character(s), Sans (Undertale)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	A Run Between Hearts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NikkiOnEdge](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NikkiOnEdge/gifts).

> Happy (now past) Birthday to Nikki! I forgot to post this... <3 love ya girl. Thanks for tripsing across the fandoms with me!

The weirdness started when Nikki first woke up. Something just didn’t feel right. There was something off in her bedroom. She couldn’t put her finger on it but, there was something different. Something just wasn’t right.

Her mates weren’t in bed with her.

Where were they? Where was she?

Nikki woke slowly, snuggling into the soft pillow and mattress. The sun was peeking through the curtains, landing just on her eyes slowly eroding the rather delicious dream that she was having. With a soft sigh, scared skin reached over and pulled the blankets over so they covered her completely, like a caterpillar in a cocoon.

There. Perfect.

The girl was just about to doze off again when she realized that something just felt off. There was something missing. Something important. Her Fell instincts kicking in, Nikki woke. The house was silent. Too silent. Usually, at this time, Rosey was making a ruckus, Grillby cooking something, while Red and Pupy were still snoring. Sitting up slowly, Nikki glanced around the room, rubbing at her eyes. Dark eyes scanned the room, looking for nothing in particular.

She nothing familiar.

With a small start, Nikki woke fully. This room was completely different than what she had fallen asleep in. There was no red, no weapons, no kinky toys or bondage. The sheets weren’t the special fireproof silk that they had specifically ordered for Grillby. Just where the fuck was she?

Had she been somehow kidnapped in the middle of the night without waking up? Had they been attacked? Was this some sort of reset that she had no memory of. Her mind whirling, thoughts and ideas thundering in her mind like wild horses on the tundra. Her heart was thundering in her chest, her breathing beginning to become ragged and shallow. She was hyperventilating, panicking. She needed to sort this out, needed to find her mates, her baby, Bucky and the rest of them…

There was a knock on the door. “Nikki? Is that you?” a familiar voice asked her.

Nikki took a deep breath and let it all out in a whoosh, chuckling softly. Bucky. Just in time to save her from herself as always. Damn girl… “Yeah it’s me,” she said. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“Not at all. I was already up and about when I heard you.” There was a pause. Nikki could almost see her, wringing her hands, trying to figure out how to say something. “That sounded like one hell of a panic attack. Was it one of your nightmares?”

Nikki began to pull herself off the floor, dusting herself off. “Sorry, Bucky. I just forgot where I was for a second.” She must have accidentally teleported herself to Bucky and Stretch’s house. Again. It wouldn’t be the first time that happened. It seemed to always happen when her magic was a little on the unstable side. She began to pull the covers and blankets up again, remaking the bed.

“Ah, no sorry. I was just concerned is all. I wasn’t expecting you to be here, is all. But how did you sneak in?”

“Oh, you know how it is. Magic.” Nikki answered, making sure that the room was clean. Odd. They must have redecorated the place since she was last over. Then again, it could have happened last time her friend had a ‘nesting’ period.

There was a giggle. “Oh come on Nikki. That can’t be the answer to everything. Tell me. Did I leave the door unlocked? A window perhaps?” Bucky persisted in asking. “Or was it something different, perhaps the cellar this time?”

Nikki gave a short sigh as she began to walk towards the door. “Oh come on. I told you. It was my magic. Must have accidentally activated my…” The door creaked open and she froze, staring at the woman in front of her silently as the other woman stared back at her, neither of them saying anything. 

This… this wasn’t her Bucky. Or at least a Bucky that she knew. Her hair was blonde and curly, tied back in a bouncy ponytail that kept the majority of her hair away from her face. Her skin was tanned like she spent a lot of time in the sun. And her clothing wasn’t a long-sleeved turtleneck and jeans but a short skirt and top, showing off her curves and skin. No. This wasn’t Bucky. The Real Bucky wouldn’t be caught dead in such a gypsy-like outfit. It was too revealing, showed off more skin, Bucky was too shy for that. The eyes were the same, bright, brilliant blue eyes, but that was about the only thing that was similar.

They were the only thing that remained remotely close to Bucky on this stranger.

As Nikki watched they slowly widened, staring at her, confusion clouding the natural glimmer to the eyes. “You’re not Bucky.” She growled to the girl. “You must be pretty stupid to think that you can pull off the old switcharoo on me. You don’t even look anything like her. Now. Tell me just who the fuck you are, and what you did with her.” Her magic was prickling in agitation. This wasn’t right. Something was very wrong here.

This false Bucky took a step backwards, hands coming up. Trying to placate her, or perhaps surrender to her, Nikki wasn’t sure. “Hey. There seems to be a little bit of confusion here. You… you look like my sister Nikki and you know my name…”

She was dancing around the question. Nikki was Fell by nature. Inpatient and angry, especially when there was someone trying to avoid the questions she was demanding. Especially if her’s and Bucky’s lives were on the line. Her hand snapped up, seizing the bitch by the throat and slamming her into the wall, causing the girl to cry out. The girl struggled, kicking and using her hands in an attempt to pry her hand off of her neck. But Nikki was stronger, and desperation made her even more so. Nikki seized one of her hands, pinning it against the wall as well, twisting it and earning a small cry from the girl.

Good. Nikki meant business. “Time is ticking. Tell me who the hell you are and what you want from me,” Nikki told her, her words dripping with venom, “tell me what you have done with my friend, or I will snap your neck here and now.”

The girl gave a gurgled cry, hand coming up to try and pull the hand off of her throat. The girl was strong, but not quite strong enough. Her free hand landed on Nikki’s chest. “G… Get off of me!” the girl demanded. Those blue eyes flashed and Nikki felt a slight push to her body – just enough for her to take a step back but nothing more. So… this girl could use magic too. She had intended to use her magic to get Nikki off of her but, Nikki could see two options. One, this girl wasn’t very good with magic and the spell had failed when she had cast it. Or two, the girl had pulled her punch. Hoping that Nikki would release her and so she could scurry back to the very hole that she escaped from.

Too bad that wasn’t going to happen. Nikki’s grip tightened as she took a step forward, advancing again, causing the girl to gasp. “Tell me damnit!” She demanded, pressing the girl deeper into the wall. Her fingers wrapped around her throat, building the pressure. Blue eyes teared, the girl struggled, beginning to wheeze for breath, and finally Nikki lost her patience. She couldn’t afford to waste any more time with this scum. “Tell me or you’ll die!” Increasing the pressure around her throat there was a faint cracking sound. The cartilage was giving in to the attack.

The girl wiggled in her hand, hoarse muttering escaping her throat. Blue, watery eyes stared into Nikki’s dark eyes. In a moment, the girl faded in front of her, the mirage changing to look like the small beaver that Nikki had originally met. The memories returned, floating lazily in front of her. Her friend and her travelling Underswap together, meeting the skeletons, their adventures. Memories of breaking her free from the Underfell Monsters, from learning to trust and love in Underswap, regrowing her soul and regaining her human body, meeting Pupy. Countless memories flooded her vision.

Distracted, her fingers slipped, releasing her grip by a smidge as Nikki remembered. It was just enough. Taking a deep breath, fake-Bucky screamed. “JULIAN!” Her voice was high pitched, scared and quaking, echoing through the house. Dripping with fear and desperation.

Her voice broke the spell. Nikki snarled, angry at herself for losing focus. The pressure returned, silencing her next scream with a gurgle. “You’re not even going to call out for Bucky’s mate? How pathetic. And here I almost believed you with your fancy hallucination trick with the eyes…” Nikki leaned in close to her ear. “I’ll kill you for that, slowly. Painfully. How dare you attempt to taint the memories I have of her.”

There was the sound of frantic footsteps, like the sound of rolling thunder quickly approaching. As Nikki turned towards the sound, there was a loud crack, pain blossoming from her ribs. The short attack was followed by a hard shove, propelling her away from her victim. Releasing the fake-Bucky, Nikki was slammed to the ground, bouncing her spine off of the wooden floor and knocking the wind out of her. With a groan, Nikki turned over, feeling her ribs move separately. Those were definitely broken. Well, nothing that the Demon of Fell Verse couldn’t handle. She had dealt with worse. She’ll heal eventually.

With a groan she rolled over, trying to get to her feet, looking up to see what hit her.

A tall red-headed man stood in front of her. One arm was wrapped around the girl, holding her close to his side as she gasped for breath as the other rested in front of them. Some form of a guarding position she supposed. One stormy grey eye stared at her as if calculating his next move. He sort of reminded Nikki of a pirate, a flowing white blouse open to expose a muscular chest, and the tight pants. Hell, his other eye was even obscured by an eyepatch. Stretch would have a field day with that. Him and Pupy and Red she could already see laughing at the poser.

“Stay down, Nikki.” The newcomer was saying to her. “If you do, I’ll heal your ribs and we can talk about whatever the hell this was.”

Nikki could have laughed. The mere thought that she would listen to that was hilarious. But that would just irritate her ribs and risk puncturing her lungs. Besides, she had to get home. Where were her mates? Where they ok? And just where the hell was Bucky? “The two of you obviously don’t know me that well. You should have done my homework before kidnapping me. I can heal myself. I don’t need to take orders from a couple of assholes like you. I have better, more important things to do.” She supposed she could have chosen better words but they would have to do.

There was a window in the bedroom that she had woken up in. Turning around, Nikki ignored the words of the man and the soft whimpers of the girl. “If you come after me, I will not hesitate to kill you. The both of you.” She had places to be. She threw open the window and climbed out, jumping to the next house and the next, wincing at the slight pain of her ribs but carrying on. She needed to find her boys. Pupy, Red, Grillby… where were you?

Was Bucky safe? If she wasn’t she would kill anyone that dared lay a finger on her.

* * * * *

“Hold still, my darling. Let me see your throat.” Julian was saying to her, his long fingers already spidering over her neck. His eye was critically examining the vessels that had popped, following the pattern.

Bucky winced as he touched a couple of bruises on her neck. If she was already bruising that wasn’t a good sign. This Nikki had truly meant to kill her. Those memories she had seen… they were dark. That was a Nikki that hadn’t been taught the real definition of love and compassion until much too late in life. And that land seemed unforgiving for those who had a shed of empathy. She shuddered at the thought of it. Yet, the other version of her seemed to have turned out ‘normal’, for a lack of a better term. Trying to teach Nikki mercy and love.

Some things just never change.

“I’m fine,” she tried to say, jumping slightly when he gently pressed on one. She grit her teeth and groaned, trying to fight back the other sounds that threatened to break out of her mouth.

“You and I both know that that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Julian told her. “She might have cracked your windpipe….” He whispered, already deep into doctor mode. The mark on his throat began to glow white and Bucky felt the stinging pain leave her body, air rushing into her lungs.

“Th… thank you…” she whispered to him, watching in sick fascination as the bruises blossomed and began to heal on Julian’s throat. The mark on his throat was something else. Ancient, powerful magic, the power to take on a person’s injuries and illnesses for themselves and then heal from it.

Julian looked over at her, pulling her into his arms again. “If I would have been a second later…” he hoarsely whispered to her. She could barely hear the sound of something popping in his throat.

She hugged him tightly, fingers clutching at his back. It must have been something serious if he was this concerned. “You weren’t… you saved me. That’s all you could do. That’s all you needed to do. You and I both know that you can’t save everyone. You can’t be expected to.” Bucky said, hugging him tightly. Her face nestled into his neck, holding him tight and, for just a moment, taking in the scent of his cologne. A quick, intimate moment. “Come on. We need to find her before anyone else does. That tribe of hers would be frantic if they saw two Nikki’s…”

* * * * *

Nikki climbed down off the house, landing hard on the cobblestone road. Wincing, she tried to avoid crying out. That man… Julian? Had hit her harder than she thought. It was taking longer to heal. She couldn’t continue by rooftop anymore. She would have to walk it until her ribs healed enough for faster travels.

But… just where the hell was she?

Nikki slipped into the crowds of people. They were all mindlessly milling about, talking about the sea or ocean or some sort of party that was going to be held at the castle. They were flesh and blood people, human people. Arms, legs and torsos. No horns or fur, no bones or wings as far as she could see. ‘Real’ people. No sign of a single monster anywhere. And the sun, high in the sky, held real heat.

So she wasn’t anywhere Underground. 

That wasn’t good. How had they kidnapped her so easily and moved her so quickly? Surely she or her mates would have woken up if someone had broken in. The group of them didn’t sleep that soundly, no matter how tired they were. Or maybe this weird Bucky had such a familiar aura about her that they just didn’t stir?

No that didn’t make sense. There was nothing that couldn’t wake Red or Pupy. The smallest shift of Rosey in the other room woke them for star’s sake. Someone popping in wouldn’t have a chance.

Nikki limped down the street, ducking into alleyways where she could to stay out of sight. This certainly wasn’t the Underground, but it wasn’t anywhere that she had been on the Surface as well. Her ribs were slowly healing, reconnecting. But they were healing so much slower than normal. Was it a result of a drug? This new environment? Perhaps this was another AU, one that they hadn’t explored yet. But that didn’t make any sense. If it was Bucky she would have screamed for Stretch or Bee, not some Julian creature.

Her head was beginning to hurt from the different possibilities. If only she had someone here who could help her figure everything out. Talk her through to what she needed to do. Even in all her days in Underfell, she had never felt this alone.

She limped by a small, crowded building. People were sitting around and talking, enjoying the sun and the slight breeze, drinking tea or coffee. There was an amazing smell coming from it. One that reminded her of Muffet’s café, fresh-baked bread or pastries. Her stomach gurgled.

Nikki would admit that she was tempted, she hadn’t had anything to eat since last night, but she forced herself to move on. She had no money for one, nor was she tempted to steal if she could help it.

However, if she ended up being stuck here, she might need to resort to such drastic measures.

“Don’t think of that just yet,” Nikki muttered to herself, walking off and looking from place to place. “Just keep looking. There has to be someone familiar around here…” She ignored the whispers and the stares of the people. Her yellow and black hair, her scarred and damaged skin and even her outfit did not fit in with the rest of the general population.

Somehow she doubted that these people even had electricity.

There was a small whine that came from her left, just hidden in some alleyway. Nikki jumped and turned around, trying to appear intimidating and threatening. Her guard was down. If they wished to attack her…

The wolf gazed at her from the darkness, warm amber eyes staring at her, ears perked towards her. Nikki relaxed slightly. Not an enemy. Glancing around she still saw no sign of that Julian or fake Bucky, nor did she see any familiar sights. And the other people didn’t seem to be paying much attention to her.

New plan.

Meet the wolf.

“Hey cutie,” Nikki whispered, slipping into the alley unseen. She held out her hand for the wolf to sniff. “I’m sorry that I don’t have anything for you to ear, but, I must say, you are gorgeous!” The wolf sniffed at her hand, giving it a tiny lick before nudging under her hand, demanding more pets.

Nikki’s heart felt like it was going to explode. She had always been good with animals but this was a wolf! A real, live, stinking, wolf! “Aren’t you just the sweetest?” She asked, gently stroking and feeling the large ears, the soft, smooth, coat. Someone took great care of them. “You’re so beautiful. You’re not very scary now, are you? I bet you’re just a large cuddle bug.”

The wolf gave the smallest of barks as if disagreeing with her. Nikki gave a small laugh. “Ok. I’m sure that you could be scary if you wanted too. But right now, you’re so adorable.” She scratched the ruff of the wolf’s neck, causing the animal to lean into her scratches, eyes slowly closing.

With a sigh, Nikki returned to gently stroking the wolf’s head. “I don’t suppose you know where I am. Do you?” she asked, feeling a little silly asking.

Cocking their head, the wolf considered the question. Nikki sighed. “I suppose that’s a no. Well. Thanks anyway…” The wolf made a small sound before getting to their feet and stretching. In fascination, Nikki watched as the muscles rippled under the sleek coat of the wolf. There was no doubt about it. This wolf was beautiful. The wolf got to their feet and turned around, looking back over their shoulder to look at Nikki. As Nikki watched they took a few steps, enough to go around the corner of the alley, before coming back and giving a soft whine.

Gesturing her to follow.

Blinking, Nikki stared at the animal. “You… you want me to follow you?”

The wolf gave a sneeze, nodding their head.

Nikki’s gut told her to follow the wolf. That it somehow knew what she wanted, and knew how to get there. Her mind, however, told her that it was a stupid idea. That a wolf was a wolf, no matter how gentle, or calm, or healthy it was.

Yet, Nikki found herself following the wolf. How long they walked for, Nikki wasn’t sure. The sun remained high in the sky, but the alleyway remained cool and damp. She ducked around corners, dodging large rates and puddles, tripping over uneven stone roads. Yet she didn’t falter. The wolf seemed to have some level of human intelligence. Maybe it would lead her to a sign or to a portal, or maybe in this AU the Underground wasn’t below ground. Maybe they were…

The wolf finally stepped out of the alley. The sun was harsh and unforgiving here, bouncing off the tin roofs and shining directly into her eyes. The houses around them were patched and damaged, a few with trees and shrubs sprouting out of them and, in the far distance, she could hear children playing.

The difference between the first place that she had seen and this place was night and day. Obviously, this part of the area was the slums, where the poorer people lived. The port must be where this place made its money.

“Why are we here?” she asked, her senses already on high alert. If this was the poorer part of the city or town or province or wherever the hell she was, then there was no doubt that there would be danger to follow. The wolf gave a low whine, trying to encourage her to follow her some more. However, Nikki was sick of following. She wanted answers.

“No. Where are you headed? Why are we here?” she asked. “I don’t see how this has anything to do with finding where I am…”

She could hear voices coming, slowly approaching. Low, calm, voices but they still sent Nikki into hiding. She hid behind a box, peeking around her hiding spot. The wolf. “Come here. You’re going to be seen!” she hissed, gesturing for the wolf to come over to where she was. The wolf shook herself, turning to face where the voices were coming from instead. Nikki fought back a groan. The wolf was right there in the open. Where anyone could see them. They were going to be spotted and seen. And Nikki knew what happened to wolves in cities. She was about to crawl out of the alleyway, seize the animal and hide when the voices were right there. Right outside the entrance of the alley.

“Inanna. There you are.” Nikki’s brain stopped as the wolf wagged her tail at the sound of the voice. Inanna (was that the name of the wolf? What sort of unusual name was that?) turned towards the voices and sat down, striking a goofy expression. A small woman, dressed in a dark cloak and arms covered by bandages came into view. Her back was towards Nikki, but Nikki could hear the smile and the joy in the woman’s voice as they spoke to Inanna. They were stroking Inanna’s ears and cheeks, constantly talking to them. “Do you know how worried we were? You can’t just run off like that. You know better than that, girl. Had us worried about you.”

“… what sort of trouble have you gotten into?” a deeper, gruffer voice said, a shadow completely covering the exit to the alley. It was a voice that sounded like it wasn’t used to speaking. The shadow had to be twice as tall and broad as the other one. At least twice as broad. The man was built like a freaking tank, like those bodybuilders that they sometimes watched. Everything on his body was huge and defined, from his abs and biceps to his pecs. The man blocked out the sun but Nikki could pick out a few defining features on him. Pale scars littered his body, contrasting against the dark ink-black hair that ran from his chest to the trail on his stomach, the same dark colour that covered his head.

He was massive, possibly even taller than even Pupy.

Inanna gave a low woof, pressing herself more under the smaller shadow’s hands. “Trouble? You know our girl doesn’t get into trouble.” The other voice said again. “She’s too good and sweet for that.”

“You say that, but you know what she gets up to.”

“She has her own adventures without us occasionally yes. But never trouble. She saves that for when we are around. After all, it’s more fun that way. Isn’t it, girl?” The wolf playfully headbutted against the woman’s face, causing the woman to giggle even as the hood slipped off her head. “Careful Inanna! Someone might see us!” Nikki covered her mouth, trying to stifle the sounds she made, as she saw the woman properly for the first time. Red-brown hair in an uncontrolled mess framed scarred skin. This woman was more heavily scarred than the man by her side, red and pink puffy scars littering her slightly grey skin. And yet, there was the biggest smile on her face, sparking light to her eyes.

A love of living.

But it went even further than that. Despite the differences, there was no mistaking the voice, the scars and the wild chaos of her untamed hair. In her own way, Inanna had indeed helped her. She had literally led Nikki to herself. She had found herself.

Someone out there had an odd sense of humour. Bucky might like the whole irony behind the situation. She’ll have to tell her about it later. Once she made it home.

But, if this was her, then it seemed like she owed this world’s Bucky an apology after all. What was it that her Bucky once said to her? Despite the hardships, despite the timelines, the slight differences that came their way, they always found each other in the end.

True soul sisters.

“Muriel, there’s something I need to do. Do you want to get some smoked eel for us and something for Inanna? And… and get one extra portion of eel. I’ll explain once I get back but we’ll need it. I promise to be back soon.” Inanna weaved around the giant’s legs, looking up at him with such adoration.

“Anything for you, Lil Pup.” Muriel bent almost double, kissing this Nikki on her forehead before he moved off. “If… if you need me, just yell. I’ll be listening for you and I’ll come running.”

“I know you will be. You’re my Papa Bear after all.”

Muriel flushed at her words and gave a soft chuckle before walking off, the wolf following him. “Oh? You know that I’m going for food. Don’t you? Gluttonous, flea bag..” he was muttering to his four-legged follower as he walked off. The words had no heat, no bite. They were simply teasing.

Already Nikki could tell that he really loved his animals.

“You can come out of the alley now.” Her own voice said to her. Jumping, Nikki turned around. The other Nikki was looking directly at her, red irises sparkling in the hot sun. “Muriel won’t be back for some time now. The vendor is a few minutes walk from here.” She smiled.

“How…?”

“Even if I couldn’t sense you there, Inanna and I have a bit of a connection. I can sort of understand what she says. She was excited, saying that she had found another Nikki, wondering if it was possible to keep you.” This Nikki smiled warmly at her. “She hasn’t known you for the full day yet and already she likes you. You leave quite the impression on people or animals.”

Nikki was tempted to run away, run back the way she came. This… this girl was her. She probably knew all her tricks. All the words to use against her. All her secrets. Was it a trick to draw her out, attack her when she felt safe?

No. There was no malicious intent that she could sense. Her aura was warm. Calm like a soft spring day. Slowly, like a frightened animal, Nikki emerged from the alleyway, glancing this way and that.

This other Nikki smiled at her before carefully preening over her. Brushing some of her clothing clean of dust and cobwebs. “Look at you. No wonder Inanna was so excited to meet you. It’s like looking in the mirror.”

“Maybe if I had a slight case of jaundice…” Nikki whispered, eyeing her twin’s yellow and red eyes. That yellow sclera looked horribly painful.

“John-dis?” the other one asked, before reaching up to touch her eye, following where Nikki’s gaze was. “Oh! My eyes! Oh, don’t worry about them. A… a friend caused them to be like that. No John-Dis or any other disease here.”

“Sounds like a hell of a friend,” Nikki muttered, glancing around her.

“A small price to pay for the power to protect everyone.”

This girl, no, this woman, was definitely her. In every sense of the word. There was no doubt about it. “So… where am I?” she asked.

The other Nikki smiled gently at her. “You’re not from anywhere around here, are you?” Nikki shook her head. “I should have guessed. I guess you really don’t meet another version of yourself on a whim.

“You are in the land of Vesuvia.” Her twin said, gesturing to the city and houses around them. “A land where there is magic, many different totem animals called Arcana, and people all conjugate in one mess. The Countess, Nadia, is trying to clean up the city, give it a fresh start, but it has been hard since the Plague took about half the population. I suppose that is how I can best summarize it without going into too much detail.” 

As she looked around, Nikki was reminded of those old historical fictions settings that movie companies made for medieval England movies. The rocky, cobblestone roads. Houses that seemed to be made of stone and arches with wooden beams. No satellite dishes, no wires, not even the sound of an aeroplane or car.

That would explain why the other Nikki had no idea what jaundice was.

“I’m guessing that it’s a little different for you?”

Nikki nodded. “I think that we are… are from a different time period. You don’t happen to have electricity, do you?”

“What’s that?”

“That’s a no.” Nikki sighed. Of all the places she could have gone, of all the AUs or timelines, she had to find the one that didn’t have the commercial comforts of home. “Look, I’m sorry. It’s been a really long day for me already and… well…”

“You want to go home already?” Nikki nodded. She was already done with this place. She missed her mates, her baby, her friends. She had attacked the other version of her friend, severely injuring her…

She had attacked Bucky.

With a groan, Nikki rubbed at her head. Even as a demon she had never attacked Bucky. It was like she had known that the EXP or LV that she would have gained from the little beaver wouldn’t have been worth it. She had never even raised her voice to her.

She was a horrible person. She didn’t deserve…

There was a flick to her forehead. “Knock it off. I can recognize the signs of myself spiralling into self-hatred. Take a breath and let’s see what we can do to fix it.”

Rubbing the small hurt, Nikki looked at her other self. She was young and innocent… “You wouldn’t get it. Not like you had killed anyone.” She muttered. “I have too much on my blood on my hands…”

“Oh. I’ve killed too.”

It was so nonchalant that Nikki was sure that she had misheard. “You… what?”

There was a nod. “My tribe wasn’t the kind that would sit down and discuss things. I was taught how to kill, how to be a weapon, from a young age. So… so try me. I think you’ll be surprised by what I can understand.”

This trip was turning more and more into something of a surprise. There was more than just the Underground AUs, more than one type of Nikki and Bucky. Not to mention that there was a distinct time change in whatever era this was.

“I’m listening.”

Right. She was still here. And now, now this Nikki was leading her over to a small, cracked fountain, encouraging her to sit. The stone was cold and hard, but it was better than what Nikki deserved.

“This… this isn’t my first time travelling to different places like this. But… but usually, there is some sort of pattern to it. Some sort of rhythm to it. Something to look for. And… and here…” she sighed, scratching her hair. “Nothing is the same. No one looks the same. You… Bucky… and your partners…” she sighed, grief overwhelming her.

“Bucky… you have a Bucky too!” This was more of an exclamation than a question. Then something washed over her face. “You met the Bucky here already?” Nikki nodded. “But…”

Nikki looked at her, tears forming. “She… she didn’t look like my Bucky. I… I got scared… I was thinking… that she… took my Bucky…” she began to cry. “I… I attacked her. Her neck cracked… she… she’s…”

A large hand came into a view, offering her a skewer with some flakey, aroma filled meat. Nikki blinked, startled, taking the skewer on instinct. A giant nodded at her. Muriel, the other Nikki called him? “Don’t give any to Inanna. She’s had her share and then some…. The fish vendor liked her…” he calmly sat down next to the other Nikki, His Nikki, and began to eat.

By now, Nikki was extremely confused. “He’s… he’s not… going to ask…?”

“Trust me. After what we just went through, this is nothing.” The other Nikki took a bite, enjoying the fish. “Smoked eel. Muriel’s favourite.” She sighed as she swallowed her bite. “You attacked Bucky, felt her neck crack…” her face was pale, sweating slightly. But yet she didn’t attack her. Instead, it looked like she was thinking. “Did she… did she call out for anyone?”

Taking a small bite of her food, Nikki had to admit that Muriel had excellent taste. The fish was flakey and smooth, light. “She… she called out for Julian?”

A large sigh of relief and the cloud that had passed over her face vanished without a trace. “Good… he was home…”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN GOOD? I ATTACKED…!”

Muriel turned to her, shushing her. “Listen. The guards make regular patrol around here, falling down houses or not. Not to mention we don’t want to attract the attention of any gang members or thugs. Quiet.” Inanna sniffed at the air, ears perked as she listened to the echo of Nikki’s voice.

Arcana Nikki looked around, scanning the area with her red irises. “We’re safe. There’s no one around.” she turned back to Nikki. “Julian is a doctor, one with a special healing mark. He can take the injury from his patient, transfer it to himself, and then heal himself from whatever injury or ailment you’re suffering from. If you stuck around, you would have seen him fussing over Bucky like a mother hen.”

“But…”

“There is no harm done. The past is the past. Live for the present and the future.” Arcana Nikki smiled at Underfell Nikki. “You know that. Bucky will forgive just about anything. Especially if it comes to us. If your Bucky is anything like mine, she knows and understands us a lot better than anyone else does.”

Nikki took another bite of eel. Should probably eat the fish while it was still warm. “Oh? What did you do to Bucky that was so terrible?”

“I almost killed her and Julian. Numerous times. Accidentally of course but yet… trouble is attracted to me as the fish is to water.”

Nikki silently chewed, looking at this other her. She was well-fed, not fat by any means, but no ribs or bones showing. But her skin was riddled with scars and battle marks. “You really are me from a different universe. Aren’t you?”

“I thought that we had accepted that a long time ago.”

Nikki gave a quiet laugh, finishing up the last of her eel. The lot of them fell into a comfortable silence other than the soft sounds of chewing. Nikki looked up at the sky, enjoying the heat of the sun. She sighed. Perhaps there were a few things on the Surface that she missed. “Thank you,” she said to them. Talking to them, sitting with them, it had done wonders for her and her mind.

Muriel merely grunted and gave a quick nod, while the other Nikki smiled at her. “Hey now. It was the least we could do. Besides. If I had somehow ended up in your world, I would hope that you would do the same for me.” she said with a small wink.

“You hang out with Bucky a lot, don’t you?” Nikki teased her, finishing her eel.

This world’s Nikki gave a soft smile, her eyes deep in thought. “She pretty much raised me from a young child. So, I suppose that you can say that’s true.” She laughed. “She taught me how to read and write, how to do some basic math, self-defence. I know it’s hard to believe, but I wasn’t always this put together. When Bucky first met me, I was a wild child. But… but I was also broken. And I believe that Bucky saw that.” Muriel said nothing. Instead, a giant hand reached out, taking his Nikki’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as if he were worried that he would hurt her.

A gentle giant.

“If I had to use that dramatic, flowery speech that Julian is always prattling on with, I believe I was a broken, rotting flower. My stem brown and black, the last of my petals about to fall away. But Bucky replanted me. She saved me. And I will always be grateful for that.”

“But… but she’s…” the word weak died on Nikki’s lips as she remembered their confrontation. Bucky, pinned against a wall, eyes flashing, blue magic flickering to her hands…

And then it was out like a light. Like it was never there.

She had pulled her punch.

Perhaps, perhaps in that same instant where Nikki had seen Bucky as a beaver, perhaps Bucky had seen the little girl that she had helped grow and raise. Perhaps this Bucky had seen her sister in Nikki’s eyes, I couldn’t break that stem that she had seen grow and strengthen.

“Oh, trust me. She’s anything but weak. I’ve seen her take down a man roughly the size of Muriel when he attempted to get a little too handsy with her.”

Nikki sniffed, rubbing at her eyes. It was dusty here. Or that was the excuse that she was going to use. “It’s always the small ones you have to look out for.” She said quietly.

“Now who’s the one who’s been hanging out with Bucky?” This other Nikki challenged, a grin stretching across her face.

“Ah shut up.” Nikki said, laughing. “… I still miss my Bucky though.”

“And you know that she misses you.”

“… if she’s like the one here she’s probably already looking for you…” Muriel spoke, barely above a whisper.

Nikki blinked in surprise before giving a smile. “You’re right. She’s probably already driven the Underground crazy, looking for me. Well, her or my mates.”

The other Nikki blinked at that. “Mates? Like… plural partners?”

“Oh. Yeah… like… like you and Muriel. But I have three. Red, Pupy and Grillby.” Nikki said. She wished her phone would have transported with her. It would have been something else to show them pictures of living, breathing skeletons, and a fire monster. Then again, that would have looped back to the electricity conversation and how different this world was to her’s. “We also have a child. Rosey.”

“Rosey… I’ve always liked that name.” Arcana Nikki languorously smiled.

“As did I. We must think a lot alike. Or maybe you and I are just a lot alike.” Nikki retorted, causing the other to giggle. Even Muriel smiled.

There was a loud, echoing ping, one that caused Inanna to cock her head and look at her, one that caused Arcana Nikki and Muriel to look over at her. “What…. what was that?”

Nikki’s eyes widened. Pressing a hand to her chest, she summoned her soul. The deep red heart still held a few cracks here and there but, the multicolours still glimmered brightly. The blood-red of Red, the purple-red of Pupy, and the poisonous violet of Grilz. 

But she wasn’t looking at any of those.

Deep in the centre, a brilliant blue light shone bright. Bright like azure, bright like the sky. As she watched, it gave off another ping. This time, just a little quieter.

“What… what does it mean?” Arcana Nikki asked, a little fearful.

Nikki could only smile. “Bucky is coming,” she said. “Bucky is coming!”

“But… how?” Muriel asked. There was a loud squawk above them. There, high in the sky a raven circled, the only spot of darkness on a clear day. “…Malak…” Muriel muttered, green eyes narrowing at the bird. “Which means…”

There was the loud sound of footsteps approaching them. Closer and closer they got, louder each step on the cobblestone. Until, at long last…

“NIKKI!” Nikki turned, just in time to catch a small woman launching herself at her. Brown hair with loose curls, a red turtleneck that attempted to hide the large, slashing scar around her throat…

And brilliant blue eyes.

“Nikki! Oh for heaven’s sake you scared the absolute shit out of everyone!” Bucky said stepping back. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes slightly teary. “I thought that Grillby was going to combust, Red was about this close to a complete and utter breakdown and Pupy… well, you know how he is. I’m sure he was going to rip the door off its hinges.”

Her mates… they missed her. Well, that shouldn’t be a surprise. Nikki gave a smile, pulling her friend back in for a hug. “How did you find me?” she asked.

“Stretch, Undyne and NTT whipped up some sort of contraption that was able to seize the smallest trail of your magic. They were able to use our connection to ping the exact location of you and teleported me over here.” Bucky explained. “And then, here in this area? Well. I had some help.”

Nikki’s eyes lifted. There, standing off to the side. The red-haired man, now dressed in black, and, beside him, looking at her concerned from under an unruly frizz of blonde…

“I owe someone an apology,” Nikki said, looking back to her Bucky. 

Bucky looked at her, raising a brow. No shit, her expression read. She must have been filled in on what had gone down on the wild ride here.

Nikki slowly approached Julian and Bucky. Julian shifted but did not block her path. He was watching her carefully, making sure that a repeat didn’t happen in front of him. Blue eyes again met red. “How… how do I begin?” Nikki said. Shame slowly overtaking her as she remembered.

“Most people start with an I’m sorry or an excuse.” Arcana Bucky offered, a small smile playing on her lips. “Maybe you thought that I was trying to steal your organs or your soul so you panicked?”

Nikki chuckled at that. “Well. Be that as it may, I am grateful that you didn’t. Not that you would have gotten a very high price for them anyway. But still…” The scene replayed in front of her eyes. Bucky slipping down from the wall, a purpling bruise around her throat, a girl wheezing for breath… “Is… is your throat alright?”

“It is. Julian is a great doctor.” This Bucky smiled sincerely up to the red-headed man. The man flushed at the praise, red colouring his cheek and neck.

“Good. But… but still. It was not right of me to attack you in such a way. I know now that you were trying to help, maybe trying to understand yourself. You didn’t need me attacking you or…”

The blonde Bucky cupped her cheek. “All is forgiven. I understand. And, honestly, I am just glad that you are ok.”

This girl, through and through, was Bucky. A friend. A sister. A soul connection. Nikki touched her hand, pressing against it. “Hopefully next time we meet it will be on better terms.”

“Well the other me has already promised to show us around ‘UnderSwap’? So, I look forward to it.” A small, genuine smile.

Nikki gave a grateful smile, feeling better than when she had when she first met the woman. This felt better. More natural. Bucky teaching her new things, no matter the timeline. One of these days she was going to have to turn it around. Perhaps they could finally find a timeline where Nikki was the eldest?

“How do we get home?” Nikki asked Underswap Bucky. She was ready to go home before she caused more troubles. “I don’t suppose that there’s a door or portal connecting these worlds?”

“Well, your mates were currently still losing their shit over not sensing you,” Bucky said, with a small sigh. “Luckily, I always have a backup plan. And a ride home.”

There was always another move planned. Always an escape. Always an…

“No… no, you don’t mean…”

There was a loud, echoing crack, one that sent Inanna hiding behind Muriel. “hey Nikki. glad to see ya didn’t get too **bonely** without us.”

Nikki sighed. “Stretch. Always a pleasure.” Despite her words, they held no heat. She was grateful to see another familiar face, even if it wasn’t the ones that she was really looking forward to seeing.

The orange hoodied skeleton stood in front of them, lollipop between his teeth, and those dreadful cargo pants with bees on them that she had bought him last Christmas as a joke. There really was no mistaking him. “came as quick as I could. thought I would just… **knuckle** my way in.” He told her, cracking the bones in his hands.

Inanna was already showing great interest in this new arrival.

“You always tell such **fibulas**. We both know that you had a specific agenda. You came here to pick up Bucky first, check out the other Bucky, and then save me.” Nikki challenged him, arms folded across her chest. Daring him to disagree.

“well, I admit that I was more than a little worried sending Bucky across time and space. you _were in a galaxy, far, far away mind you_,” he said.

Bucky and Nikki gave a sigh. Always with the pop references.

“I… I didn’t understand that reference?” the Arcana Bucky said, looking up to Julian.

The red-haired man shook his head. “Neither did I. Maybe it’s a them thing. The other yous understood it.”

Stretch had turned at the slightly familiar voice, his eye lights widening when he saw her. “ah, you must be the other Bucky. I can see the similarities. blue eyes, the curls, stunning good looks…” Julian grumbled something dangerous as he made a half step between the two. “not to mention a jealous lover. a pity really. if you weren’t taken I would have been happy to…”

“I am going to kill him.” Underswap Bucky whispered, embarrassed as Stretch tried to start his own Bucky harem.

“Hey. You have Core at home. Don’t you dare.” Nikki whispered back to her. “Let me. I know how not to make a mess.”

There was a loud, deafening crack as the environment flashed red for a moment. Magic that dripped with EXP and LV. “Nikki!”

The smaller, red skeleton wrapped around her, furry jacket quickly obscuring her from view. As the dust settled around them, the glint of gold flashed in the sun. “Don’t you dare disappear from me again. I missed you so much and Rosey and the rest of them… we woke up and you were gone. We were scared that you went out and got yourself Dusted…. Not that it’s possible but…”

“Red…”

Red was completely lost to his emotions. Tears dripped down his eye sockets, still tinged with his red magic. “We knew that you could look after yourself but there was no note and we panicked and…”

“Red?” Underswap Bucky called out, pointing to the Nikki beside her. “Wrong Nikki.”

A mammoth hand clasped around the furry hood, lifting the skeleton off of his feet.

Muriel stared down at the skeleton, green eyes cold and unreadable. Gulping, Red gave a sharp-toothed grin. “Hey, buddy… I… look. Honest mistake here… I’m… I’m really sorry and…”

“Not my buddy,” Muriel muttered to him, dropping the monster and pulling Arcana Nikki into his arms again. “Don’t forget that.”

“Got it. Not buddy… ermm…”

“Muriel.” Bucky prompted.

“Right. Sorry, Muriel. Wrong Nikki…” Red turned, looking towards his Nikki. His eye sockets welling with tears again. “Nikki!” he exclaimed. “I missed you so much! Don’t you dare disappear on me ag-!”

“Don’t just repeat the same damn speech, you asshole!” Nikki snapped, squeezing him tightly and hiding into his jacket. Her arms were shaking slightly as she breathed him in. Musty and slightly smoky, with the definite smell of mustard. “… thank you for coming….”

“Heh… couldn’t let SwapShit have all the credit.” Red said, kissing her hair and stroking her head as he held her tight. Helping her to calm. “Just… just deep breaths Nikki. We are here now. I’m sorry it took so long… UnderSwap is a large area to look. Had to look everywhere before we began to panic.”

Nikki sniffed and held him tighter, hiding her face. “Took your sweet time, huh?”

“Heh… not even a nap. Promise, sweetheart.” Red held her close until she was steady, letting her use his shirt to dry her eyes. “You ready?” he asked her. Wordlessly, she nodded. She had spent her emotions. It was time for her to go home.

A hand clasped onto Red’s shoulder. “hold her tight or we’ll be doing a quick turn around.” Stretch warned him, that lazy look returning to his eye socket.

Red nodded, holding tight to Nikki. “Remember. This isn’t goodbye. We’ll have to introduce the other you to Pupy and Grillz yet. And Rosey. Rosey will be thrilled to see another you.” he said to her.

Nikki smiled at that. “Ah yes… another set of people to spoil her.” Turning to the others she smiled, nodding to them. “Well. Until next time?”

“Until next time.” Bucky and Nikki of Vesuvia told them. smiling and waving as the four disappeared with a loud crack. Like they were never there.

* * * * *

Nikki waited until she was sure that the other weird versions of them were gone before turning to the others. “So… they both have kids with skeletons. How is that possible?”

“If this was a better time or place I would joke and say that they must use their **boners** for that,” Julian said before seizing Bucky’s hand. “But… Bucky… do you… do you have a necrophilia kink?”

“Julian, what the ever-loving hell made you come out with that?”

“Well, your other… other boyfriend is a skeleton! He has no flesh or organs to speak of, he is only bones.”

“The other Nikki is with two skeletons and a fire monster. Are you going to ask your ‘daughter’ if she has a fire kink?” Bucky asked as Julian sputtered, his eye looking towards Nikki.

Nikki sputtered at that. “Don’t bring up the dad play at a time like this!”

Muriel sighed and shook his head. “They are awfully loud today, aren’t they Inanna? Too excited…”

**Author's Note:**

> If you like what I do, be sure to leave a kudos and comment! It helps fill me with Determination and prevents Lucio from making further deals with the Devil


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